Meat dreams are made of these

I'm predicting this fad with all things bacon will end soon. The bacon suit is ridiculous. While the bacon bomb will cause your arteries to explode. It has to end and I'm predicting that after the 2010, it will be only a memory.

But being the hypocrite I am, I rushed over to The Linkery one day for their lardo ice cream sandwich and I blame Leanne of Three Dog Kitchen for placing a photo of it on her blog. Damn blog reader. Curses.



The lardo ice cream sandwich includes two hazelnut cookies, house made vanilla ice cream with candied bacon on top. The caramel had a lingering taste of smoked bacon which brought it all together. Even Paul who was skeptical of the idea of candied bacon claimed his share after his first taste. The bacon was was addicting and a perfect balance of salty and sweet. The cookies were extremely soft as indicated by using only a teaspoon to eat. The knife served with it was useless. As for the name, I think it implies what your body will look like after eating one of these massive desserts all by yourself. Sharing is highly recommended.



The Linkery based in North Park is known for their sausages and house cured meats. Everything on their menu is sustainably raised and many by local farmers. The menu changes from day to day based on what is fresh and in season. It's a movement that is gaining popularity in San Diego with other restaurant popping up with that same mantra. It's good to know where your food comes from and how it was raised. I half expected part of the restaurant to be attached to a farm.

Aside from the lardo ice cream sandwich, I also went there for their special of the day: a hamburger topped with their hot dog also house made just like the rest of their meats. I like hamburger and I like hot dog so yes, I had to order it. I was half expecting a hot dog encased in ground beef much like could be found on This is Why You're Fat. I was wrong. This is a respectable joint.



Presented to me was a sliced hot dog on top of a hamburger patty. Not exactly what I had in mind but delicious. It was all very picnic-y with corn on the cob, sliced pickles, potato salad and apple slices. The burger and hot dog was very good despite cheese being the only other condiment. I didn't miss the ketchup or mustard. All the flavors were clean and not hidden beneath drenching layers of sauce.

Looking over the menu, The Linkery also serves some unique items I have yet to see anywhere else. Two examples are their kettle fried chicken heads and whole-head goat baloney. Paul was not going to have any of that. Since I didn't want to get stuck with having to eat it on my own he went for the grouper instead. Sigh.



The grouper was pan fried with capers, strawberries and fingerling potatoes. It's a very pretty dish which is slightly salty and tart but left us wanting more. Lucky for us, the lardo ice cream sandwich was able to fill the holes. Maybe next time we'll have the chicken heads.